Article of apparel



Patented June 8, 1943 ARTICLE OF APPAREL Elizabeth Kertesz and Ilonka K.Lorant, New York, N. Y.

Application December 13, 1939, Serial No. 309,046

2 Claims.

Our present invention relates to articles of ladies apparel and, moreparticularly, to coverings for the hands and to be worn over theforearms, of the type generally known as mufis.

Mufis of the type to which the present invention relates have heretoforebeen made as substantially open ended cylinders, of multiple layers ofmaterial, consisting of an outer face material, an inner lining, andintermediate layer of fabric in the form of padding or stiffeninginterlining. The outer face material is, generally of a decorativenature, preferably harmonizing, by matching or by contrast, with thewearers outer garment, and consisting usually of fur skins. Such muifsare made of a width and length sulficient to accommodate both of thehands and wrists of the wearer and are, necessarily, of considerablesize and weight and, therefore, relatively clumsy, and in many respects,inconvenient. They continuously and exclusively occupy at least one ofthe wearers hand and make it diiiioult, if not impossible, to performany acts that require the use of both hands, such as the extracting of akey or change from a purse, the application of cosmetics, and the like.Furthermore, the frequent necessity for using both hands requires thefrequent removal of the muff, sometimes in most inconvenient places,with resultant wear and tear, soiling and frequent loss.

It is the object of the present invention to provide muff like articlesof apparel for use in lieu of a muff, which possess all of the desirablecharacteristics of muffs, namely, warmth, comfort and pleasingappearance, but possess none of their foregoing disadvantages, and whichpossess, in addition, many advantages and superiorities over theconventional muffs.

It is the object of the present invention to provide articles of apparelof the character described which do not constantly and exclusivelyoccupy any of the wearers hands and, consequently, do not requireremoval from the hand for the performance of any act, but which, on thecontrary, leave both'of the hands of the wearer free, at all times.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide articlesof apparel of the character described which may be worn for warmth andcomfort, over the hands, in muff-like fashion, but which, when no longerdesired for such use, may still be conveniently and decoratively andornamentally retained upon the arm, as a cuff over the forearm, withoutinterfering in any way, with the wearers comfort or ability to use herhands.

Broadly speaking, the invention consists in the provision of handcovering apparel comprising two complementary muif-like parts or garmentmembers, each adapted to be worn upon one of the hands and to receivetherewithin the opposed hand, in one position, and to be folded back toserve as an ornamental cuiffor the arm, in another position.

More comprehensively stated, each of the muff-like parts or garmentmembers is of a hollow frustro conical form with both of its faces of adecorative fabric or material which is suitable for outer wear, and ispreferably padded or stiffened by an interlining, and is provided, atits narrowed opening, with an unstiifened flexible portion whereby it isadapted to be held about the wrist and along which it may be folded tocover either the hand or the fore-arm.

Several embodiments of the garments of the present invention are shownin the accompanying drawing. It is to be understood, however, that suchembodiments are shown by way of illustration only, to make theprinciples and practice of the present invention more readilycomprehensible, and that it is not intended that the invention be in anyway limited to the structural details thereof, but that, on thecontrary, the broadestscope for the invention is intended that isconsistent with the state of the art and with the claims which arehereinafter appended.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a complementary pair of garment-membersforming the article of apparel of the present invention associated,integrally, with a pair of gloves, and shown as worn in muff position,covering the hands;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation and partly in section showing one of suchgarment members disposed in position to cover the fore-arm;

' Fig. 3 is a view in elevation and partly in crosssection showing thesame garment member when worn in muff position;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation and partly in section of a. secondembodiment of the present invention, showing a garment member of suchembodiment worn in mufi position;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the same in cuff position; and

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the same illustrating 1another arrangementfor wearing it in cuff posiion.

Referring more specifically to the accompanying drawing, and designatingby the same reference characters the same or similar parts in each ofthe several figures; each of the complementary garment members,generally designated as I0, is of an open ended tubular, preferablyfrustro-conical form, and may be constructed of multiple fabric ormaterial layers, to have a pair of faces, II and I2, each made of afabric or material of a decorative or ornamental nature, suitable forouter wear. At least one of the faces, such as the face I I, may beformed of a fabric that matches or harmonizes with an outer garment.Thus, for example, face H, may be made of fur skins to match a fur coator of cloth of a color harmonizing or contrasting with the color of acloth coat. The faces II and l2 are joined to one another at the edgesof the garment openings with one of the faces, such as H, partlyoverlying the edge of the face [2, at the wider end of the article as atl3. Each article I0, may also be provided with an intermediate layer,I4, of material or fabric for the purpose of stiffening or padding forwarmth.

Each of the members I0, is ,provided, preferably at its narrower end,with .an unstiffened readily flexible sleeve-like "fabric portion, [5,adapted to fit about the wrist ,part of the arm.

When desired, each of the sleeve-like portions, l5, may be formed .to becontinuous with another garment, either integrall-yor by attachment. Oneembodiment illustratingsuc'hconstruction .is shown in Figs. .1 to 3,inclusive, of the drawing, wherein the :garment member .IO and itssleeve, I5, are associated withaglove l6. The particular mode of.constructionshown consists in making the sleeve l5, and face I2,-of thegarment continuous with and an extension of the glove l6, so that theentire .mem'ber l0, appears, when in position, .as in Fig. 2, as .anenlarged gauntlet portion of the .glove.

Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawing illustrate the combined muff and glovegarment worn in muff position with the glove in ,place on the wearer shand and the muff-like portionYfolded over at .its base, along theunstiifened sleeve portion l5. :It will be noted thatthe muff-like part10 .of the garment is of a length substantially sufiicient to cover theglove to the ends of the fingerswhen it is folded thereover. It will be:further noted that when the wearers hands are *brought together, theends l3, of the members are juxtaposed and effectively close theinterior of the members to the atmosphere, providing-the appearance,warmth and comfort of a muff.

Fig. 2 shows the garment member worn asa glove with the stiffenedmuff-like ,portion, 10, worn away from the glove l6, and serving as acuff for the arm of thewearer.

While the glove I6 is shown as continuous and integral with the sleevel5, and one of the faces of the muff-like garment in, it will be readilyunderstood that such construction Jmay'be modilied to have a garmentI0,'-stitched-by its :sleeve, 15, to the-edges of a glove 16, withoutmaking portion l5, which is joined to the narrower end of the muff-likegarment i8, is provided with one or more elastic band l1, annularlyarranged thereabout gather and restrict the sleeve-opening andresiliently clasp the sleeve-like portion 15,

about the wrist to keep the weather out and at the same time, render thesleeve-like portion I5, ornamental.

Of the three figures illustrating the construction and use of the secondembodiment, .Fig. 4 shows the same when worn in muff positionflvith thesleeve-like portion [5, extending upon the wrist in the direction of thearm. Fig. 5 shows the same when worn as a cuff, with the sleevelikeportion in the direction of the hand; and Fig. 6 shows the same worn asa mufi with the sleeve-like portion in the direction of the arm, with agarment sleeve fitting between the sleevelike portion l5 and the facel2, of the garment member I 6.

t will be readily seen that to change the garment member of the secondembodiment from muff to cuff position, or vice-versa, the garment membermay be folded over along the sleeve portion or it may be only necessaryto remove the garment from the wrist, turn it, and insert the handthrough the end opposite the one through which it was first inserted.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. .An article of apparel comprising, in combination with a glove, amuff portion consisting of multiple fabric layers arranged in tubularform said muff portion having a close fitting .wrist end whereby it isconnected to, the glove anda wide open end. capable of receiving ahand,said mufi portion being sufficiently long to extend fromthe wrist'backover and cover at least a portion of the hand on which it is worn, sothat when used with a similar device on the other-hand a complete muffwill. be formed when the hands. are joined.

2. An article of apparel comprising .a mufi portion consisting ofmultiple fabric layers arranged intubular form said mufi portion havinga close .fitting wrist endand a wide -.open .end capable of receivingahand, said muff portion being sufficiently long to extend from the wristback .over and cover at least a .portion of the hand on which it isworn, so'that when used with a similar device on the other .hand acomplete muff will be formed when the hands are joined.

ELIZABETH KERTESZ. ILONKA K. L'ORANT.

